Australian dairy products surely gaining a presence in GCC market

(MENAFN - Khaleej Times) The middle east is fast growing as a big sampler of australian dairy products.

australia’s dairy products exports to the uae account for a$110 million

“if you look at the gcc we export about a$300 million worth of dairy products. a$110 million of that comes to the uae so a third of it actually comes here. that’s a mixture of products present in the retail industry and for the hospitality industry” gerard seeber consul general and senior trade commission australian trade commission told khaleej times.

dairy items rank as the third largest sector in australia’s agriculture industry after beef and wheat where top manufacturers are murray goulburn fonterra lion nathan warrnambool cheese and butter bega and parmalat. others are burra foods australia bulla longwarry food park balltyne and lemnos.

some of these brands share a notable presence on supermarket shelves while others are working towards a gcc base. the uae records 25068 tonnes of the nation’s milk-based products in imports followed by saudi arabia with 12810 tonnes and kuwait with 10399 tonnes. consumables include skim milk powder mixtures cheese butter and whole milk powder. its popularity among gcc countries is due to high standard of consumption quality safety and variety.

in an attempt to broaden market opportunities dubai-based australian trade commission hosts special seminars to introduce and integrate potential sectors into the uae.

“we are a federal government agency and help identify the opportunities for australian firms to export their products while educating those in the uae about australian products. there are a lot of dairy products coming into this part of the world and we’re here to let investors in the gcc know about the opportunities available back in australia. with dairy australia we want to keep the industry up to date on global trends in the market as well as innovation and production in australia” he added.

dairy australia is the investment arm of the industry that takes care of the entire value chain — from australia’s farmers and milk production to processing and domestic and export markets. to date south east asia remains the world’s biggest exporters of australian dairy products standing at a$810 million (29 per cent) of the market share.

“the middle east is one of our key markets it takes about 11 per cent of australia’s dairy exports — a huge chunk of what we cater to. based on statistics we see a steady growth over the medium term and expect it to continue” said john droppert industry analyst at dairy australia who presented the latest international market updates at dairy australia discovery seminar on june 4.